Reading Notes: Cupid and Psyche, Part A

The Captive Woman:

• Lucius, the hero of the story has been turned into a donkey and stolen by a band of robbers and being used as a pack mule. 
• One night the robbers come back with a beautiful girl that they kidnapped from one of the rich families in order to get ransom money.  They told her not to fear for her life, they  just wanted money.  
• The girl cried and cried and began to torment herself, and the old woman that was sent to comfort her became angry that she may may ruin her bandit's chance of getting money. 

Her Dream:

•  The girl explained that the kidnapping had taken place on her wedding night, and that she had had a dream about it as well where the bandits kill her lover. 
• The old woman comforted her and said not to let a dream disturb her.  Dreams that come in the daytime are proven to be untrue, and nightmares often signifies the opposite.  The old woman started to tell her "an old wives tale". 

Psyche's Beauty and the Anger of Venus

• The story starts with a king and queen who had three beautiful daughters, the youngest being so beautiful that human speech could not describe her.  People bowed to her as the goddess Venus. 
• Word spread of Venus's human state and people came far and wide to see her.  Venus's shrines and temples became abandoned as there was no need for them anymore.  
• Venus herself was angered by all the praise going to a mere mortal girl.  She swore that she would reap no joy from using her name and that she would regret her beauty. 
• She summoned her wicked son, Cupid who goes around at night with his bow and his arrow ruining marriages and committing shameful acts.  She told him to doom Psyche with a wretched man, who would become nothing significant.  

The Oracle of Apollo: 

• Even with Psyches beauty, no man wished to marry her.  Her sisters became married to royal men and she was left at home alone.  
• Psyche's father, worried about anger from the gods prayed to the oracle of Apollo that they would send a man to marry her.  Apollo replied that if the girl were married her children would be evil serpents. 
• Psyche went to her dreadful wedding and told everyone to leave her as she was actually going to her funeral.  After everyone left she was whisked from the mountain top by a zephyr and laid down in the valley on a bed of flowers. 

The Magical Palace: 

• Psyche awoke to a beautiful  palace, made by divine hands. 
• Exploring she found beautiful treasure and wealth, and a voice spoke to her saying it was all hers and to go to her room and bathe, and her servants will ready the feast when she is ready.  All the servants and voices were invisible. 

The Mysterious Husband: 

• During the night her "husband" came and took her virginity and then left and voices spoke to her for several nights consoling her solitude.  
• Psyche's family, mourning her aged greatly and lamented in sorrow. 
• Psyche's husband said that her sisters (who think she is dead) will one day come to the cliff and yearn for her and that if she answers she will bring utter ruin to herself.  She promised to behave and ignore them.  She was sad thought and wished to see her sisters and ease their sorrows. 
• Her husband agreed to let her sisters come visit but again urged her not to listen to what they had to say or she would again be ruined. 

The Jealousy of Psyche's Sisters: 

• Psyche showed her sisters all her wealth and treasure and her sisters became envious and questioned her husband.  They then became very angry that they have suffered a great deal while she has lived in paradise and said they would return and punish her arrogance. 

Psyche's Husband Warns Her: 

• While Psyche's sisters planned her murder with their parents, her husband warned her once more that if she examine his features she will never see him again.  The sisters were coming and he warned her again.  However, she wept for her sisters and giving in, he let Zephyr bring them. 

Fears and Doubts: 

• Psyche's sisters tricked her into killing her husband in his sleep. 

Psyche's Husband Revealed: 

• As she drew her blade, she saw that her husband, was actually Cupid.  She admired him and fell in love with him anymore.  However, oil from the lamp fell on his shoulder and woke him and he flew away and told Psyche that his mother told him to give her a wretched marriage, but that he disobeyed her and made her his wife instead.  He said he would take revenge on her evil sisters and never see her again. 

Psyche's Despair: 

• Psyche returned to her sisters, and both of them tried to leap off the cliff to become Cupid's new wife, and they both fell to their deaths on the jagged rocks. 

Psyche fawning over Cupid. Web Source. 

Bibliography: Cupid and Psyche from Apuleius's Golden Ass. Translated to English by Tony Kline.